Be the first to comment!Join DLH for an evening under the stars at Ta’ Sopu Tower in Gozo
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The public are being invited to experience magical, star-filled dark skies at Ta’ Sopu, one of the least light-polluted areas in Gozo and is located on the outskirts of Nadur. Entrance will be free of charge
Din l-Art Helwa – Ghawdex volunteers look forward to welcoming visitors on Sunday, the 8th of August, from 7.30pm until 10.30pm. They explained that the nearby large family park is the perfect place to observe dark skies on a summer’s evening.
With a new moon, visitors may also be lucky enough to catch sight of ‘Id-dmugh ta’ San Lawrenz’, the Perseid meteor shower, as the numbers of meteors increases each night, until peaking over the Maltese Islands in mid-August.
Din l-Art Helwa said tha observing stars and meteors requires no special instruments such as telescopes or binoculars, “just sit or lie down and view as large an area of the night sky as possible. There will also be the opportunity to see inside the fully-restored 17th century Ta’ Sopu coastal watchtower.”
Ta’ Sopu Tower (also known as La Torre Nuova, Isopu, Nadur or San Blas Tower) was built in 1667 during the reign of Grandmaster Nicholas Cotoner and has a distinction no other can claim – its guns opened fire on the French invasion fleet on the 10th June 1798.
The restoration works on this remote Gozitan coastal watchtower were completed back in 2006, and carried out by Din l-Art Helwa, Malta’s National Trust, in partnership with Nadur Local Council, who now look after the building.
Free information sheets about the tower’s history will be available on request in Maltese and English.
Parking: There is parking close by to Ta’ Sopu tower (refer to the map given in this link to the free, downloadable walking guide.
The NGO requests that visitors park responsibly and do not block roads or tracks leading to and from the area.
Bus route: Please do keep the environment in mind and attempt to carpool, cycle, walk or use the Malta Public Transport bus route 303.
Public toilets: There are no public toilet facilities at the tower or in the nearby park.
DLH said that the walk from the nearest parking area to the tower takes around 15-20 minutes on an uneven track. “We suggest visitors wear suitable footwear, bring a torch (preferably with a red light setting) or a mobile phone with a torch function and plenty of drinking water. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.”
Both the tower roof and basement/ cistern area can only be accessed by a narrow stone spiral staircase.
Din l-Art Helwa – Ghawdex said that i follows the current legal regulations around Covid-19 for cultural sites and thus will apply on the night. This includes:
*The maximum number of people allowed inside the tower at any one time is limited to 18 visitors.
*Please respect the 2 metres social distancing rules.
*Visitors are required to wear a face mask inside the tower and should use the hand sanitiser provided when entering and leaving the building.
*Basic personal details must be provided for contact tracing purposes. The information will be destroyed once no longer required.
